New curriculum for Vigo students teaching financial literacy skills
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Financial literacy is an important skill that students and young people need to learn before they reach adulthood, and United Way of the Wabash Valley is trying to help students in Vigo County do just that that.
UWWV recently awarded the Vigo County School Corporation a total of $67,270 through its Financial Management Council to strengthen the corporation’s financial skills training program.
According to the board, financial coaching and income management are important skills to help break the cycle of poverty and contribute to United Way’s goal of lifting 10,000 families out of financial difficulty and back to stability.
Financial skills training for teens is timely and relevant because many college students often start working and collecting their first paychecks in high school. As teens prepare for post-secondary education or enter the workforce, they need a solid foundation of money management skills.
United Way of the Wabash Valley press release
Many organizations applied for grant funding, but after careful evaluation, UWWV chose VCSC’s plan to implement a Junior Achievement Finance Park capstone program for personal financial planning and career exploration. .
In the program, high school students spend several days learning how education and career choices will impact their quality of life. This includes saving and investing, debit and credit, and establishing a financial plan. Students then test what they have learned in a realistic simulation. They pick a career, get a persona, earn a paycheck, maybe have a family, set a monthly budget, shop within budget, and pay their bills. At the end of the simulation, they will have financial skills that will help them make decisions to live free from financial difficulties.
Centraide funding will enable some 300 students to participate in the program during the 2022-2023 school year.
VCSC will initially offer the program to Wabash Valley Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) students and alternative high school students, including Booker T. Washington and Vigo Virtual Success Academy, but will expand to offer the program to more students. and to other academic societies in future years.
United Way of the Wabash Valley press release
“With this grant, United Way of the Wabash Valley is investing in financial planning education and career exploration for Wabash Valley youth,” said Doug Dillon, director of vocational/technical training at VCSC. “The Vigo County School Corporation and Junior Achievement are thrilled to provide this new opportunity for our young people and to help equip students with the tools to make sound tax and career decisions as they transition into adulthood.”
